Method of and apparatus for mixing dough.



H. GOTTSGHALK. METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MIXING DOUGH.

APPLICATION FILED APRJO, 1911.

v 7% A W W 3 ab w sw 1 H. GOTTSGHALK.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MIXING DOUGH.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 10, 1911.

Patented Nov. 14, 1911.

3 S HEETSSHEET 2.

mvemon WITNESSES H. GOTTSGHALK.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MIXING DOUGH.

APPLICATION FILED APR.10,.1911,

1,008,639 Patented Nov. 14, 1911.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

WITNESSES "MENTOR M BY l7? a MAM/ am ATIUR UNITED STATES OFFICE.

HUGO GOTTSCHALK, 0F BURNHAM, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOB TO GOTTSCHALK & CO.INC., OF REEDSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MIXING DOUGH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 14, 1911.

Application filed April 10, 1911. Serial No. 619,998.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HUGO GO'I'ISCHALK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Burnham, in the county of Miiiiin, State of Pennsylvania,have invented a new and useful Method of and Apparatus for Mixing Dough,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for mixing dough andhas for an object to provide a dough mixer wherein the material isworked uniformly and evenly -while the air and gases are thoroughlyworked through the mass of dough producing a dough of high baking valueand quality.

It has for a further object to provide a mechanism wherein the dough isacted upon by a mixing device operating at varying speeds, whereby thematerial has a-rising and falling movement within the mixer of verybeneficial effect.

It has for a further object to provide a mixing device wherein themixing blades rotate in one direction at a gradually changing speeduntil a predetermined point is reached when the direction of rotation isreversed and the speed gradually diminishes thus in one movement theblades rotate from a maximum to a minimum and in the other the movementis from a minimum to a maximum.

It further consists of other novel features of construction, all as willbe hereinafter fully set forth.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention, I have shown in theaccompanying drawin one form thereof which is at present pre erred byme, since the same has been found in practice to give satisfactory andreliable results, although it is to be understood that the variousinstrumentalities of which my invention consists can be variouslyarranged and organized and that my invention is not limited to theprecise arrangement and organization of these instrumentalities asherein shown and described.

Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a dough mixing machine embodyingmy invention. Fig. 2 represents a plan of the same. Fig. 3 represents asection on line m-m, Fig. 1.

Similar numera s of reference indicate corresponding parts in thefigures.

Referring to the drawings :-1 designates the frame of a dough mixingmachine embodying my invention, the same being suitably mountedandhaving bearings 2 formed therein, in which is journaled a shaft 3. Thisshaft 3 carries a pinion 4 meshing with an intermediate gear 5 mountedon the stud shaft 6 in the frame 1, the said intermediate gear beinginmesh with a gear 7 suitably keyed to astud shaft 8 and upon which oneside of the mixing receptacle 9 is journaled. The opposite side of themixing receptacle 9 is mounted upon a similar shaft 10 suitablyjournaled, in the frame 1 it being noted that both shafts are providedwith journal boxes 11, of customary construction. Each of the shafts 8and 10 in the present instance extend within the receptacle 9,, asufficient distance to receive the hubs 12 of the blade structure 13.These hubs 12 are secured by a spline 14 to the respective shafts.whereby the blades 13 rotate with the movement of the shaft 8. It willbe noted in the present instance that the hubs 15 of the mixer are ofsufficient length to form an effective bearing to distribute the wearover the surfaces while one of the hubs 15 has a gear segment 16 fixedlysecured thereto by set screws 17 or like fastening devices, whereby theposition of the 'mixing receptacle 9 may be changed to discharge thedough at intervals, as desired. This gear segment 16 meshes with a worm18 suitably journaled in the frame 1, the said worm 18 being suitablymounted upon a spindle 19 having a bearing in the bracket 20. Thisspindle 19 carries a bevel gear 21 adapted to mesh with a similar gear22 onspindle 23, upon which latter is located a hand wheel 24, by meansof which movement is communicated to the worm 18 and thereby causes atilting action of the receptacle 9.

ed to engage a friction driving disk 27.

The wheel 25 in the present instance has an arm 28 secured theretocarrying an internally threaded sleeve or leader nut 29 mounted upon afeed screw 30, the latter being suitably journaled in the frame 1 andhaving a hand wheel 31 secured thereto to effect operation of the same.It will thus be apparent that the rotation of the feed screw 30 causesthe leader nut 29 to move longitudinally thereof and carry the wheel 25from one position to another in order that a variation in the speed ofthe driving' gears 5 and 7 may be obtained. This variation in speed aswill be apparent, is obtained by moving the wheel 25 from one edge ofthe driving disk 27 to the other and the result is a speed varying froma maximum to a minimum and reversely. The disk 27 is mounted upon asuitably mounted shaft 32 driven by gears 33 and 34, the latter beingconnected to the shaft 35 of a'motor 36 which, in the present instance,supplies the power. It will be understood that the disk 27 is suitablykeyed upon the shaft 32 for sliding movement thereon, which action iscontrolled by means of a lever 37 serving as a starting and stoppingdevice for the mechanism.

In the operation of the device the dough is placed within the receptacle9 and the disk 27, through the medium of the 'lever 37 is brought intoengagement with the friction wheel 25. At this time the wheel 25 ispreferably in position to start the mechanism revolving at slow speedwhereupon the mixing blades 13 work the dough slowly and evenlydistributing the air throughout the mass. The hand wheel 31 is nowbroughtinto operation to 'r otate .the feed screwv 30 and advance theleader nut 29 so that the friction wheel 25 gradually passes across theface of the drivingdisk 27, thereby preferably increasing the speed ofthe mixing blades until a maximum' is reached at the outer periphery ofthe disk 27. The direction of movement of the wheel 25 is now reversedand the speed gradually diminishes to a minimum when the center of thedisk is reached, and as soon as this center is crossed the blades ofcourse begin to revolve in the opposite direction and the speed is againgradually increased until the edge of the disk is again reached. Thus itwill be apparent that by combining a friction wheel drive mechanism witha dough mixer, I am enabled to work the dough more evenly and moreeffectually than heretofore has been possible, while the constantlychanging speed of the blade insures a thorough intermingling of the airand gases. This changing of speed is especially advantageous since itproduces a rising and falling of the dough within the receptacle 9 suchas has not been heretofore attained and by means of which the air isdrawn into the dough and worked therethrough uniformly in a highlydesirable manner. Furthermore, the reversing of the blade mechanismduring the mixing of the dough causesthe same to work. in the oppositedirection and further break up the air within the dough.

Attention is again called to the feeding movement of the friction disksince thereby it is possible to start mixing the dough at either a slowor high speed by which it is worked well up the sides of the receptacleand then" gradually as the speed changes the dough receives a rising andfalling movement distinctly novel and resulting m a completeinter-mingling of the constituents. I

It will now be apparent that I have devised acomplete unitary structure.simple in construction, eflicient in operation and one in which thedough mixing operation may be not only completed in half the timeordinarily consumed but in which the intermingling of the air, gases anddough is so uniformly produced as to result in a dough having qualitiesfar superior to'any dough heretofore produced in a mixing machine andwhich, as far as I am aware, can only be obtained by varying the speedof the mixing devices and causing them to rotate, during a portion ofthe-operation of the mixer, in one direction and during the otherportion ofthe mixing, move in a reverse direction. Furthermore, I havefound in prac- 'tice that a gradual changing of the speed of the mixingblade causes a complete and thorough working of the dough and that thevarying speed at which the blade works tends to carry the dough upwardin the receptacle, holding it suspended for a time at intervals and thenas the speed gradually diminishes, allowing the dough to gradually fallto the bottom of the receptacle, where it is again picked up during thereverse movement of the blade and worked in a similar manner.

It will now be apparent that I have devised a novel and usefulconstruction of a dough mixing machine which embodies the features ofadvantage enumerated as desirable in the statement of the invention andthe above description, and while I have, in the present instance, shownand described a preferred embodiment thereof'which has i been found inpractice to give satisfactory and reliable results, it is to beunderstood that the same is susceptible of modification in variousparticulars without departing from the spirit or scope of the inventionor sacrificing any of its, advantages.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a device of the character stated, the combination of a single armdough mixer, with means for driving said single arm, and means foruniformly varying the speed of said means from a maximum to a minimumand from a minimum to a maximum.

2. In a device of the character stated, the combination of a dough mixerhaving a revoluble arm or blade, a driving shaft, means to transmitmotion therefrom to said arm or blade, a friction member mounted on saidshaft, a friction disk suitably mounted adjacent said friction 'memberand adapted to contact therewith, and means to vary the position of saidfriction member relative to said friction disk whereby the direction ofrotation of said arm or blades is reversed and its speed varieduniformly.

3. In a device of the character stated, a frame, a dough receptaclecarried thereby, a blade rotatably mounted in said receptacle, a drivingshaft rotatably mounted in said frame, driving connections bet-ween saidshaft and blade, a friction member slidingly mounted on said driveshaft, a friction disk adapted to cooperate with said friction member,means to feed said friction member from one edge of said friction diskto the opposite edge and means to drive said frictiondisk.

4. In a device of the character stated, a frame, a dough receptaclemounted thereon friction wheel, whereby said wheel is'shifted across theface of said friction disk from one edge thereof to the opposite edge.

5. The method of mixing dough which consists in revolving a mass ofdough at a uniform speed for a certain period, increasing said speed toa maximum, gradually reducing the speed and bringing the dough to rest,then revolving the dough in a reverse direction increasing the speed andthen decreasing the speed and bringing the, dough to rest.

6. The method of mixing dough which consists in revolving a mass ofdough at a predetermined uniform speedfor a, certain period, thenincreasing said speed to a predetermined or maximum speed, thengradually reducing the speed and bringing the dough to rest, thenreversing the direction of revolving thedough and increasing the speedto a predetermined or maximum speed, again decreasing-the speed andbringing the doughto restand then increasing the-speed to the uniformstarting speed.

HUGO GOTTSCHALK. Witnesses: ROBERT M. BARR, C. D. MOVAY.

